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Odd, or unidentified saddlebags for BMW motorcycles

by Duane Ausherman

This is a collection of photos and information from BMW riders and collectors.  I include photos of similar perspective in case one shows some aspect that another does not.  Please feel free to add information and photos.  Scans of original mounting instructions would be great.

If you have a collection of old motorcycle magazines, please look in them for more advertisements of these "off brand" products.  Please scan them with 300 dpi, or so and email them to me at w6rec*@*sbcglobal.net  Just take out the two stars.

This page is for odd, or low production saddlebags.  Once identified, some of these may move to the proper place.  Please let me know if you contributed these photos, or have more.

Arthur Fulmer Bags

Arthur Fulmer bags, formerly Wixom bags  Another photo of the Wixom look alike Fulmer bags. Hal, thanks for the photo.

Thanks to Duane Carr for this photo of a bag made by Arthur Fulmer, model 52-7000-05 in Tennessee. 

Fulmer bought out Wixom and made bags for a couple of years before going out of business.  The only difference was in the lid latches.  Thanks Boxer by Bruce.

The Arthur Fulmer bags were really stout, heavy fiberglass.  We'd ice down a case of beer in each and head to the motocross or hill climbs every Sunday to spectators and cheer our customers on.  A small drain hole drilled in the bottom of each bag eliminated sloshing and the corresponding reduction in handling on the way home. I wish I still had those bags!  Thanks to John Sudlow

 

Duane,

Here are the bags I picked up today. I don't see them on your

site, so it might be good to add them. "Reid Dammann" Some of the members said

they were Craven. They are pretty beat up, but ill get them looking good. If you want a different angle, let me know.

       

I am sure that these are not Craven.   I have an idea, but am not sure.   Anybody know??

Home made aluminum bags

Some small production runs of aluminum bags were done by individuals.  A few were offered for sale.  This one is unknown.

Dementor says that the fairing, tank and bags are all Heinrich.  The top box looks like a Samsonite.

Unknown bags  Unknown bags  Unknown bags  Unknown bags

The contributor says that these are BMW, but I don't think so.  There is no shot of the full bags, but they look like Wixom to me in the way that the right bag folds down to get it out of the way of the seat.  What are they?

German first aid kit in a bag

I can't tell if this is a bag in a saddlebag or just what.  What is it?

The silver fabric "what is it" under the Misc page looks like the advanced first aid kits that some of the Rettungsdeinst volunteers used at various festivals in Germany.  They were the equivalent of a small ambulance worth of equipment in a 20 kilo package.  They could be attached to bike racks, carried like a backpack or slung over a shoulder to move through dense, often uncooperative, crowds.

I saw a lot of them at Octoberfest in Munich and one of my good friends carried one at big soccer game (Dortmunder Union v. Istanbul something...after party got ugly with over 100K "hometown" Turks living in Dortmund).  A number of the guys that opted for civil service instead of military service got trained as EMT types.

They outside usually had a large percentage of the area covered with safety green or orange tape-stripe and they had a hard-sided inner liner.

Onkel Udo

Dan Brown saddlebags

By Brent Scharpansky

Dan Brown saddle bags, top view  Dan Brown saddle bags, side view  Dan Brown saddle bags, side view  Dan Brown saddle bags, front view  Dan Brown saddle bags, rear view

Comanche Products bags

Comanche saddle bags 1973  Comanche bag mounts

Hi Duane

The traditional bags are made by Comanche Products, Clearview Rd. Cottontown, Tenn. These were bought in 1973. The tape stripes are not original, nor are the various holes that held lights. The top mounts bolt to the shock bolt and the top hole on the license plate bracket. The bottom mount goes from bottom of the bag to ? I put it on the reflector tab.

They measure 17" long , 7" wide , 9" high w/o lid

Leon

Olympic

Olympic saddle bags, copies of the Krauser bags

The Krauser wanna-bes were made by Olympic. Cheaper in price and quality, but held up ok. They attach to Krauser mounts. Bought these in the late '70s, Leon

Garhawk Saddlebags

By Dave Langlois

Advertisement for Garhawk saddle bags

This bag is shown on a /2 US model.  I have never seen this one before.

Aldo saddlebags and trunk, or top box

By Bob Zinda in Wis.

Aldo, left saddle bag on a /5 with sidecar  Aldo, saddle bags, rear view, on a /5 with sidecar  Aldo, saddle bag,showing the hasp at the front of the bag lid.  Aldo bag rear lights  Aldo left mount on a slash 5  Aldo bag mount going over the rear fender  Aldo trunk box on a slash 5  Aldo trunk box on a slash 5

The glassed in business card of Aldo Industries

Here is a picture of the business card Al & Dolores glassed inside every saddlebag cover and trunk cover.  The glass is somewhat discolored from age.  They were local residents here in the Milwaukee area, and were great friends of ours for many years.  I also have pics of their matching R90 BMW's in the early 70's.  They belonged to our WIS BMW Motorcycle club, and quite a few members bought them.

Bob tells me that the aluminum luggage rack was made by Reynolds of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Saddle bags for the slash 5 series by Fiber Mold, made in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Fibre-Mold Bags

Unknown bags

This is a German copy of the USA Enduro bag.   Side view of the Enduro copy.  From this view one can see that the molding process is different from the Enduro saddlebags for BMW motorcycles.

Duane:

The pics are attached.  I can't tell you much about them.  There are no
hinges on the lid, there are two pins on the lid that slide into a metal
receiver in the bag and a locking latch facing aft.  They have no lights like
the Enduro bags.  They attach to a bracket that extends from the seat frame
and originally attached to a clamp around the muffler via spring loaded 'pin
clips'.

The lids were attached to the bags with ball chain.  There was a remnant of
a label on the inside of the lid that I lost - urrghhhh!.  The print was in
German.

I love the bags and am contemplating fabricating a new lid out of
fiberglass.  But I am keeping an eye open for other options.  The bags seem
easy enough to come by its the hardware compatible with the bike that I find
confusing.  I work wood not metal.

That about all I know, how's about you??

Robert D. Allshouse

Sorry Robert, but I don't remember ever seeing them.  Maybe one of our readers can identify them.  Duane

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This page was last edited: 09/15/2007 - copyright Duane Ausherman
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